NOTES (I DEFINITELY RECOMMEND READING THEM):

1) I noticed that the first movie didn't have a very big variety of dragons; they only showed Zipplebacks, Nadders, Gronkles, Nightmares, and Terrors, plus Toothless, but nothing else. So, I'm going to try to add in some dragons from the series, dragons that have been officially named from the second movie, and I'm going to attempt to put in some dragons from the book as well. All my information on these dragons comes from the httyd wiki.

2) The timeline in which Valka disappeared is going to be a bit altered. Hiccup is going to be a bit older than an infant during her disappearance.

3) I'm going to attempt - notice the word attempt - to put some Viking terminology in here. I love history, it's my favorite subject, and my favorite era to study is the Viking Age. I love their culture, I think it's very interesting, so I wanted to try and add in some things from the Viking Age in here. It seems to me that the movie is very anachronistic - something or someone that is not in its correct chronological time period - in the way they talk and behave, as if they were in our own time period. I'm going try to keep their casual behavior, while still adding in some practices and terms from the Viking Age. Viking terms are going to be in italics, but try not to confuse terms with words that are italicized simply for exaggeration.

4) I may or may not mention some characters from the book. They won't actually appear, but their names or their tribes may be mentioned. This is something I'm still deciding on, though.

5) I know absolutely nothing about blacksmithing, so I'm definitely going to get some terms wrong. The only thing I know about it is that you heat up metal and hammer it out, and that the thing you heat it up with is called a hearth. That's it. I know nothing about tools or supplies or leather and woodwork. So, if you know anything about it, feel free to correct me and I'll go back and fix it.

6) I don't want to just switch the character's names and then script out the movie. I want to make it original, while still following the movie plot and keeping some things about the characters in here. Hiccup, for example, will still be an inventor and designer at the forge. The first two or three chapters are going to be very similar to the original story before branching off into something different, so please be patient.

7) I used some deleted scenes from the movie.

8) The narration will be done by Astrid. I'm telling you this, despite it being obvious, because, once I write the series, the episodes will be narrated by both Hiccup and Astrid, and the second movie, once I write it, will be narrated by Hiccup; sort of like I'm transitioning it... or something like that.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the slightly changed plotline.

This is Berk.

It's twelve days North of Hopeless and a few degrees South of Freezing-to-Death. It's located solidly on the Meridian of Misery.

My village is, in a word, sturdy. It's been here for seven generations, but every single building is new. It's actually a relatively nice place to be; life here is somewhat normal with hunting, fishing, hiking, and a nice view of the sunsets.

The only problems are the pests. You see, most places have mice or mosquitoes. We have...

Astrid heard the warning bell ring long before the shouting, the roaring, and the explosions. She was surprised the warning came so early considering the moon was still out, as well as several clouds, making it a bit difficult to see the beasts before they attacked.

Her mother had told her to wait until it was safe before meeting her at their post, but, really, how safe could it possibly get with the chaos going on around them?

She didn't want to wait anymore.

She opened her front door, only to start at the sight of a large red dragon hovering near it. The Monstrous Nightmare immediately took notice of her and Astrid, hearing the hiss of the gas building up in its throat, immediately slammed her door shut just as the dragon released a stream of fire at her. She cringed when she felt some heat seep through the wood, a few tendrils of smoke floating into the air.

She stood up a bit straighter, breathing out, "Dragons..."

She turned, opening her door once again, checking left and right to make sure there were no dragons near before sprinting into the battlefield.

Most people would leave. Not us. We're Vikings. We have stubbornness issues.

My name's Astrid. What? Think that's a weird name? Well, some of the greatest female Vikings in history were named Astrid, so I have no problem with it. Besides, it's not the worst name out there. There are plenty of superstitious Vikings who believe that a hideous name will ward off gnomes and trolls.

Like our charming Viking demeanor wouldn't do that.

A ball of fire hit the ground near her, rocking the ground and knocking her onto her back. The explosion must of caught a few others off guard, as a large, burly Viking landed on top of her. He held up his axe, giving her a threatening look.

"AHHHH!" He let loose a war cry before suddenly giving her a rather pleasant smile and speaking in a cheery voice, "Mornin'."

He hopped onto his feet, running into battle once again, and Astrid sat up, watching him go with a look of annoyance plastered onto her face. The explosion that had knocked her down had made her ears ring, and the scream in her face didn't help much with that.

Yeah, charming Viking demeanor.

Wondering about my clothes, why they're so different than everyone else's? Well, they're actually my mother's; this armor was worn by her when she was my age. Her mother had made them for her, saying that the clothes make the Viking.

Apparently, tough, warrior clothes should make me a tough, warrior Viking.

Well, you know what, it doesn't work.

Astrid used her small size to her advantage, weaving past the much larger Vikings as they ran past her. She ignored their shouts to get back inside; didn't they know she had a post to get to?

She was a bit irked at their words and their tone. They should be grateful; she was the one that made sure they didn't bleed to death, tended to their burns, and kept them safe from infection.

Yeah, they should definitely be grateful.

Astrid turned a corner, skipping past a few Vikings, not noticing that she was about to run into a dragon's line of fire. She suddenly felt herself get yanked backward by her wrappings, her feet off the ground. She glanced over before squeezing her eyes shut, having caught Stoick's irritated eyes.

Stoick was a large bear of a man, with thick red hair and dark green eyes, and a Scott accent to top it all off. Said eyes had an annoyed glint in them as he looked her over before addressing her with a bellowing voice. "Astrid?" He gave some of the men surrounding them a look of irritation. "What is she doin' out agai-" He cut himself off, sighing heavily through his nose as he turned his attention back on her. "What're you doin' out again? Get back inside!"

He flung her to the side, and she ran forward a little in an attempt to catch her balance. She glanced back at him for a brief moment before running off again, rolling her eyes in irritation.

Once again, the inconsiderate twits were ungrateful.

That's Stoick the Vast, Chief of our tribe. They say when he was a baby he popped a dragon's head clean off its shoulders. Do I believe it?

Stoick glanced to the side, catching sight of a green Nadder flying off with a sheep held in its claws. Stoick immediately grabbed an abandoned cart, flinging it with ease as if it were a small, wooden shield, and it hit its target. The Nadder went down, falling from the sky, dropping the sheep in the process.

Yes. Yes I do.

Stoick breathed out a sigh before glancing to one of the many nameless Vikings surrounding him, his voice commanding. "What've we got?"

"So far we've only got Gronkles, Nadders, Zipplebacks... oh, and Hoark saw a Monstrous Nightmare."

"Any Night Furies?"

"None so far."

"Good."

Vikings scattered all around the village, attempting to avoid each other and the chaos surrounding them at the same time. Explosions from the dragons' fire rocked the ground and set ablaze several buildings. A few Vikings ran toward enormous torches, lighting them up and hoisting them in the air with large braziers, illuminating the dozens of dragons flying in the air.

Astrid made it to her post, ducking under the arm of a waiting Viking as she ran into the longhouse. He mother, a rather tiny woman with loosely braided blond hair, sat next to a surprisingly quiet Viking who held up his arm for her, dressing the cuts and burns on it, rubbing in some herbs to avoid infection. [1]

The woman gave a small smile as Astrid ran past her, grabbing a small basket of medical supplies before walking up to the waiting Viking, searching him for his wounds.

"Well there you are, Astrid," She said, "I was afraid you'd been carried off."

"Who, me? C'mon, Mom, what would they actually do with me?" Astrid grinned as she crushed some herbs in the small cup in her hands before using the crusher to scoop some up and rub them on the claw marks on the man's arms. He tensed up at the stinging feeling, but, true to the Viking way, made no sound or movement, keeping his pain to himself.

"They could use you for a toothpick."

Astrid scoffed, "You got that from Gobber; he says it to Hiccup all the time."

"Maybe," Her mother smiled sweetly as she wrapped some gauze around her patient's arm.

That's my mother, Thora. She's one of the best healer's in the village, second only to the Elder. Actually, she was trained by the Elder, apprenticed under her when she was young. Elder Gothi taught her everything she knows, and now she's teaching me. She's had me working my post in the medic hut ever since I was little. Well... littler.

She's very small; always has been. I'm pretty sure she's the reason I'm so small myself. But, she's proven her worth as a warrior time and time again, taking down dragons of any size despite her small stature. She simply chooses to work in the medic hut; her reasons are sensible, saying we don't have enough healers in this village to begin with, which is true.

She says she's proud of me, and the woman I'm turning into, but I'm not sure what to think about that. I can barely even lift a bucket of water, let alone help out during the Raids.

I want to be like her, prove I'm a worthy Viking despite being so small.

Stoick ran across the wooden walkway, several men behind him, houses catching aflame one by one as he ran past them. Right now, he wasn't Stoick, he was the Chief, and his voice was loud and left no room for questioning as he relayed orders to his men.

"Move to the lower defenses! We'll counter-attack with the catapults!"

Several "Aye's!" resounded as his men ran past him, running to their new posts. An explosion went off next to him, and Stoick ducked his head as the fire grew more wild, running down a narrow pathway, avoiding debris from the fire as they fell around him.

See? Old village, but plenty of new houses.

Astrid glanced up as she finished wrapping gauze around the shoulder of the large Viking in front of her, a loud shout about a fire reaching her ears. She wanted to scoff and roll her eyes, but she held the urge back.

They were battling fire-breathing beasts, of course there was going to be fire. And even then, there was already fire spreading throughout the village; they shouldn't just now be shouting about it.

Curiously, she walked up to the open window, placing her hands on the ledge as she poked her head out. She could hear a husky female voice, one she recognized, that was faint but decisive.

"Alright! Let's go!"

Four people her age ran past the window, pushing and pulling an almost wheelbarrow. It really wasn't a wheelbarrow, it was just moved around like one. It was a large water barrel with a tiny opening and lid to let the water pour out. The barrel had a stand, handles, and wheels attached to it, which is what helped it move around like a wheelbarrow. It was built when the decision to make the Fire Brigade was made; it was designed to move around fast, as well as carry a few buckets, so the members of the Fire Brigade could carry plenty of water around and put out as many fires as they can.

There were only four members of the Fire Brigade, but they made a big difference in how many houses burnt down.

Oh, and that's Fishlegs.

Fishlegs was a large boy, the biggest and strongest of their age group, with short, stringy blonde hair. His appearance may be intimidating, but the affect wears off the second his face is seen, his peaceful yet nervous expression putting those intimidated by him at ease. Not to mention his personality; he was very kind and gentle, quiet and a bit of a nerd when it came to dragons.

He loved facts and learning rather than fighting and pillaging, something that set him apart from the other Vikings. His personality was actually ignored due to his strength and ability to wield weapons, as the physical was much more favored by Viking-kind than the mental.

He should probably count himself lucky that he was born so strong because if he wasn't, he would probably be in the same situation as Astrid.

Snotlout.

Snotlout was... an arrogant git to say the least. Astrid wasn't sure what to think about him. His personality really put her off; sometimes he made fun of her, sometimes he hit on her (which really wasn't appreciated). She supposed she couldn't really blame him; he most likely inherited that part of his personality from his father. Spitelout was just as arrogant, maybe even more so, as Snotlout.

She's seen the way Spitelout treats him; it wasn't 'Do your best and I'll be proud' like most other parents, it was 'Be the best or I'll never accept you'.

Spitelout loved his son - Astrid could see it in the harsh man's eyes - but he was too busy trying to compete with his brother-in-law and his son, Snotlout's uncle and cousin. It almost made her feel sorry for the little twat. [2]

Almost.

The twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut.

Ruffnut, the female, and Tuffnut, the male, were only fraternal twins, but looked amazingly identical. They were constantly fighting over the littlest of things; many people thought of them as dimwitted, but they really weren't, they were just easily distracted by their fights.

Astrid didn't really talk to Tuffnut much, so she wasn't sure what to think of him. The same thing could be said about his sister, though she and Astrid talked quite a bit.

Ruffnut was the embodiment of the female Viking way; tough, strong, hot tempered, punch first and ask questions later. But, she was still a female, and all women needed a girlfriend every once in a while. Because she and Astrid were the only girls of their age group, Astrid was the one she latched onto.

They didn't talk much about personal things, Ruffnut's pride getting in the way of asking for advice about her female problems, but they did get along. Though, sometimes Ruffnut did make fun of her, but Astrid never really got mad at her for it; it was just the way Ruffnut was, she loved a good joke, especially the mean ones.

She supposed she could call Ruffnut her friend.

And there's someone else that completes our little group of misfits.

"Astrid."

Astrid started at the sound of her mother's voice, realizing that she had gotten distracted by watching the chaos outside. She turned to face Thora, coming face to face with the small woman's patient smile.

"Astrid, go take post at the forge. I know a few stubborn ones who would rather have their weapons sharpened before their wounds cleaned."

Astrid gave a small nod before grabbing a small traveling box of medical supplies off the counter and running outside. She avoided the larger Vikings as she made her way toward the forge, glancing briefly at the small line of Vikings at the window.

She nearly ran straight into Hiccup as he carried his weapons toward the hearth.

"Careful!" The auburn haired boy barked, nearly dropping the two large swords in his arms at his sudden stop in an attempt to not run into her.

"Sorry!" Astrid scrambled to the side, getting out of his way as he walked to the hearth, dropping the weapons on it before pumping it to increase the heat.

That's Hiccup. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III to be exact. Don't think his name is tough? Well, I'd like to see you tell him that to his face.

He's the apprentice of Gobber, the village blacksmith, a meathead with interchangeable arms and an attitude. He's been apprenticed under Gobber ever since he was little, working at the forge day and night, creating beautifully crafted weapons with intricate designs on them.

It's something that sets him apart from Gobber; Gobber is a wonderful blacksmith, don't get me wrong, but Hiccup has an eye for detail.

Astrid watched him hammer out the swords for a moment before looking around. The forge was relatively large, with a tiny room in the back that Astrid knows Hiccup had taken over for himself. There was a small desk sitting to the side, covered in parchment and a few contraptions.

Astrid, curious, grabbed one of the parchment pieces, looking over the design drawn on it. It looked like a... flying suit. But people can't fly, can they? [3]

Astrid glanced back at Hiccup for a brief moment as he worked at the sharpening wheel before turning back to the design. It kind of reminded her of a flying squirrel, only the wings were more dragon-like, and there was a fin-like piece jutting out of the back section.

She set the paper down before glancing around the forge again, catching sight of a contraption sitting in the corner. It looked like a wheelbarrow, but she could see that the middle part could open up. [4]

She glanced over at Hiccup again, seeing him hand out some weapons to the waiting Vikings through the window, before walking up to it. She reached out a curious hand.

"Don't touch that!"

Astrid started when the warning came too late, and she let out a surprised sound when the contraption suddenly jumped and swung upward. She speedily ducked to the side as a bola suddenly flew past her, smacking a waiting Viking at the forge window right in the head, and he went down with a thwack and a surprised shout.

Astrid pursed her lips before slowly turning to Hiccup, shrugging helplessly at the annoyed look in his eyes. She cleared her throat, giving a small, nervous smile, "So what is that, anyway?"

"It's a bola launcher," Hiccup answered, his tone surprisingly patient. It was something that confused her about him; he never seemed to lose his patient tone with her, even when she pissed him off and he looked like he wanted to throttle her. "It's supposed to throw bolas harder and further than what Vikings can normally do. But it's got some calibration issues to work out."

Astrid nodded absentmindedly, looking back at the bola launcher as Hiccup brushed past her to grab more weapons to sharpen.

That's another thing about Hiccup. He's an amazing inventor, keeps coming up with awesome designs and contraptions, proficient at woodwork, metalwork, ironwork, and leather designs. It's one of the reasons I believe he's surpassed Gobber a long time ago. In fact, he's the one who came up with the Fire Brigade and designed the water barrel.

Hiccup was amazing at the forge, but it seemed like no one other than her and Gobber noticed it. As mentioned before, Vikings seemed to only notice the physical rather than the mental.

They didn't understand why Hiccup never wanted to go out during the Raids, instead wanting to stay and work in the forge. They didn't understand his inventions, why he invented, the things he said or did. They didn't understand why he constantly disappeared into the woods or why he drew or why he was so quiet all the time.

But, he could swing an axe even better than most veteran Vikings, so they let his 'weird and different' behavior go.

Like Fishlegs, if he didn't have his strength and proficiency with an axe, he would probably be in the same boat as Astrid.

"So where's Gobber?" Astrid asked as she watched him run an axe over the sharpening wheel. She recognized it as the axe he constantly carried around, whether it was out in the open or hidden from view. [5]

"He ran out; said they needed him or something."

"Mmm."

A small pause.

Astrid suddenly grinned, "Hey, Hiccup-"

"No."

"But I just-"

"No."

"You don't even know what I-"

"You're not going out."

Astrid huffed, crossing her arms and shifting her weight to one leg, giving him an irritant look, "Why can't I? I need to make my mark."

"You've made your mark, Astrid," Hiccup said, not even glancing up from his work, "In all the wrong places."

"Hiccup, please, just... two minutes. I'll kill a dragon and my life will get infinitely better."

"Astrid, not even I have killed a dragon yet."

Okay, that was true.

Hiccup lifted his axe, twisting it from side to side, checking it over before glancing up at her. He rolled his eyes a little at her irritant look before huffing, crossing his own arms as he looked back at her.

"Look, you can't lift a hammer."

That's true.

"You can't swing an axe."

Also true.

Hiccup snatched up a bola that was sitting on the window counter, holding it up for her to see, "You can't even throw one of these things."

True.

A Viking suddenly ran by, snatching the bola from Hiccup's hand as he went. He swung it around once before launching it into the air; it wrapped around a dive-bombing Gronkle, rendering the creature's wings useless, and it fell, landing heavily on the ground.

Hiccup and Astrid stared at the scene a bit blankly for a moment before Hiccup shook his head a little, walking back over to the sharpening wheel, mumbling, "Go check on the guy you knocked out."

Astrid rolled her eyes before grabbing the medical box she had sat on the counter and running outside. She knelt by the man she had inadvertently knocked unconscious, lifting his head up slightly by cupping the back of his neck, checking for any visible head injuries.

This is the situation she was in; she was small and she was weak. She looked nothing like what the preconceived version of Vikings should look, but unlike her mother or Hiccup, she had no strength to make up for it. She was clumsy and had a definite case of bad luck; every time she tried to help, her clumsiness only made bad situations much worse. It was why she was told to stay inside all the time.

She had some skills, though. She picked up on her mother's healing skills rather quickly, and Thora commented on how she would surpass her mother some time soon. Like all Viking women, she had to learn how to do housework. While she couldn't cook very well no matter how hard she tried, she could sow, weave, clean, mend.

But, it didn't make up for her lack of strength on the battlefield, something Vikings were much more interested in. It irked her so much; why couldn't she be like her mother? Her mother was even smaller than she was, but she could lift a hammer and swing an axe and throw a bola. She could cook and mend and weave and sow and clean, and she could take on any dragon that came her way.

Why couldn't Astrid do that?

Maybe Loki had cursed her.

Astrid glanced up from her work of wrapping the cut on the man's head in gauze, looking at the chaos of dragons and Vikings and fire around her.

One day, I'll get out there. Because killing a dragon is everything around here.

Deadly Nadders are colorful, exotic. They're considered to be one of the most beautiful dragons in Viking history. You know, if you had a chance to admire it without it trying to impale you with its spikes. They would definitely get you noticed around here.

Gronkles are tough. They remind me of bumblebees, actually, the way their wings work. They're appearance kind of looks like bumblebees, too, and they're hard and rock-like. Taking down one of them would most likely increase my popularity.

A Hideous Zippleback? They could also be considered exotic. They're like snakes; sneaky. Two heads, twice the status.

And then there's the Monstrous Nightmare. Only the best Vikings go after those.

After a Zippleback used its gas and spark to blow one of the buildings to Hel, it connected its necks together before flying upward, right past Stoick just as he reached the top of one of the watchtowers.

"They found the sheep!"

"Concentrate over the lower bank!" Stoick bellowed before hopping to the lower floor. He helped push the large wheel into place, tightening the rope of the catapult before the men above hit the release lever, launching a large boulder toward a gaggle of dragons.

Stoick walked toward the ledge of the tower, his eyes searching for any enemies they could launch at before his face was suddenly illuminated by an unseen fire. He narrowed his eyes, looking down at the source of the fire, near the base of the tower, and he quickly readied his hammer.

They have this nasty habit of setting themselves on fire.

Suddenly a large, red dragon burst through the flames, its entire body alight. It narrowed its slit-pupil, yellow eyes at Stoick before rearing its head up.

"Reload! I'll take care of this!"

Stoick dodged the Nightmare's teeth, and the Nightmare ducked its head to dodge his hammer. It was almost like they were taking turns in a game; Stoick jumped out of the way as the dragon snapped at him, while the dragon ducked its head to avoid the swing of his hammer.

But there are plenty of other dragons around. Thousands. Hobblegrunts, Hotburples, Timberjacks, Mood Dragons. Too many to name.

Stoick and the Nightmare suddenly froze in mid-attack, the sound of a high-pitched whirl reaching their eardrums, echoing throughout the air. The Nightmare's eyes widened for a brief, barely discernible moment before it quickly flew away.

But the ultimate prize is a dragon no one has ever seen.

Hiccup froze in his work of sharpening his axe, glancing upward as the whirring grew louder and louder.

Outside, Astrid and the nameless Viking she had knocked unconscious froze in place as she tried to help him sit up. Their eyes immediately went to the black sky, desperately seeking out the cause of the noise.

We call it the-

"NIGHT FURY!"

"GET DOWN!"

Almost every Viking within hearing range immediately ducked under their shields, and a watchtower suddenly exploded in a purple-ish blue light before a wild fire consumed it.

It began falling apart, and Stoick immediately bellowed out an order. "Jump!" He shouted, and the men on the tower followed his lead, jumping from it as it quickly crumbled around them.

This thing never steals food.

Hiccup, his axe still in hand, placed his hands on the window counter as he looked out, his eyes on the sky, brows furrowed in concentration as he tried to seek out the invisible dragon.

Never shows itself, and-

The whirring resounded again before another watchtower exploded in a purple-blue light, a fire quickly consuming it as it began falling apart.

Never misses.

Hiccup narrowed his eyes for a brief moment before he speedily began removing his smithy apron. He hung it up as he grabbed his fur vest, throwing it over his shoulders as he sprinted outside, axe in hand.

He stopped by Astrid just as the man she healed ran off, his own weapon held up, a war cry escaping as he sprinted right into the chaos.

"Astrid, I'm gonna go find Gobber," Hiccup said as she turned her attention to him, standing up herself, "See if he needs my help."

That was a lie. Really, he just wanted to see if he could get a glimpse of the Night Fury.

He made a move to run before he suddenly froze. He turned his attention back to Astrid, his eyes narrowed at her, "You stay here. Got it?"

"Yes, I know," Astrid said irritantly. Hiccup stared at her for a brief moment before giving an annoyed smile and running off.

Astrid wasn't stupid; she knew what he was really trying to do. Number one, it was rare for Hiccup to leave the forge during a Raid. Number two, he ran in the complete opposite direction of the battle. She knew he just wanted to see the Night Fury himself.

She petulantly crossed her arms, glaring after him before turning her attention back to the battle. She wished she could fight; she wanted to be out there, too.

She began glancing around, seeing if there was anyone injured that she could help out before suddenly looking back at the forge. Her eyes caught sight of Hiccup's bola launcher through the window, still sitting quite innocently in the corner.

A glint appeared in her eyes and she quickly glanced around, making sure no one saw her before sprinting back into the forge.

No one has ever killed a Night Fury before. If I become the first, I'd finally have my place in the tribe.

So... I'm gonna try it.

Astrid burst through a group of Vikings, pushing Hiccup's wheeled contraption as best as she could; it was rather heavy.

"Astrid!" A large, dark blonde haired man bellowed after her, "Where're you goin'!? Get back here!"

"I know!" Astrid called back, not stopping her struggling pace, "Sorry, Dad! I'll be right back!"

That's my dad, Cnut. He's one of the biggest and best warriors of our village, almost the Chief's right-hand-man. He's second only to Spitelout. Which is good. Very good. It gives our family status among the village.

Cnut sighed irritably as he watched his daughter run off with something that was more than likely one of Hiccup's weird inventions. He glanced to the side, something catching his eyes, and quickly sprinted toward it.

About three Nadders had cornered some sheep, and Stoick hurled a net over them, trapping them. Stoick and Cnut, along with a few other Vikings, quickly hopped over them, holding them down. One of them breathed fire, and Stoick dodged it, clamping the Nadder's mouth shut and holding it down.

"Mind yourselves!" He yelled as he struggled with it, "The devils still have some juice in them!"

On one of the cliff sides, Astrid pushed the bola launcher directly to the top before stopping. She looked at it for a moment, curling and uncurling her fingers. "Okay..." She whispered to herself, "How does this work?"

She bit her lip as she glanced around it, her brows furrowed in thought. Hesitantly, she grabbed the wooden top, opening it up. There was a metal contraption on the inside, and she slowly reached down, unsure, and pulled it up by the back.

It did nothing.

Sighing irritably, she grabbed the front half of the metal contraption, pulling it up as well, and she let out a startled sound when two wooden pieces suddenly jutted out. There was rope attached to the two pieces, and wrapped around two smaller pieces close to them.

She stopped for a moment when she realized that the rope was actually a bola, and she tilted her head as she looked at it. The way the wood jutted out reminded her of a crossbow.

Hesitantly, she grabbed to the smaller pieces, pulling them back. She watched as the rope tightened up before she heard a click, realizing that the smaller pieces had locked into place near the back of the machine.

She looked under it, trying to find whatever shot the bolas. She looked at the front handle for a moment before noticing the slots around it, realizing that it could be pushed downward, which would most likely launch the bolas.

Satisfied that she had figured it out, she hopped onto the foot stand, wrapping her hands around the front handle before turning her attention to the sky. She twisted the launcher left and right, trying to find the reclusive dragon. Her eyes widened when she saw a shadow blocking out the bright stars, and she quickly huddled down, looking through the eye-piece of the machine, following the shadow's movements as the signature whirring sound of the creature grew louder and louder.

Suddenly, the watchtower a little ways in front of her exploded in a purple-blue light, and she quickly pointed the launcher at the black shadow, illuminated by the orange flames.

She began to push down on the handle to launch just as a Nadder flew into her line of fire, squawking.

"No!" She gasped, but she had already pressed down on the handle, the force of the shot knocking her off the foot stand. She heard a loud thwack followed by a shriek of distress as she sat up, and her eyes widened as she watched the Nadder go down, the bright blue figure disappearing from sight into the forest.

She panted, the adrenaline calming as her face finally took on a look of realization.

"I hit a dragon," She murmured, "It wasn't a Night Fury, but it's still a dragon. I hit a dragon!"

She grinned excitedly, jumping up, her arms raised in a victory pose, "Yes! I hit it! Did anybody see that!?"

The sound of crunching drew her attention, dimming her joy as she slowly turned, coming face to face with a snarling Monstrous Nightmare, its body sitting on top of the now destroyed bola launcher.

Her eyes widened, her face taking on an expression of fear.

"Except for you," She stuttered nervously, and the dragon reared its head back before letting out a vicious roar.

Stoick and Cnut glanced up to the cliffs, their eyes catching the sight of a large Monstrous Nightmare snapping at a familiar silhouette, her screams reaching their ears. Stoick sighed irritably, glancing over at Cnut.

"I'll get 'er..." Cnut sighed, standing and running toward his daughter.

Astrid's clumsiness saved her when she tripped, causing the fire thrown at her to miss. She quickly scrambled to her feet before sprinting behind the last standing brazier, her chest quickly rising and falling, her expression one of pure panic. She huddled in on herself, covering her eyes with her hands when fire was shot at the post she was huddled behind, the flames illuminating her. When the sound stopped, she hesitantly looked up, looking around the pole, not noticing the Nightmare was looking at her from the opposite side. It opened its mouth to fire, but was pushed to the side by a kick from Cnut.

The Nightmare shook its head irritably before it tried to fire at him, but only a small spurt came out before cutting off. It tried again, only succeeding in releasing a few embers.

"You're all out," Cnut muttered before giving the dragon a few swift, strong punches, and the creature irritantly shook its head before flying off.

Cnut looked back at the smoldering pole as it finally burned through, collapsing, revealing Astrid on the other side. The giant torch the pole was holding came off, rolling through the village, and Astrid winced at every shout and crash she heard.

"Sorry, Dad..." Astrid muttered.

The torch forced the Vikings that were holding down the Deadly Nadders to move aside or get burned, freeing them, and they immediately flew off, carrying the sheep with them.

Oh, and there's probably one more thing you should know.

Astrid glanced around, catching sight of most of the villagers staring at her. She immediately took notice of Gobber, Stoick, Hiccup, and her mother and father as the ones most easily recognized.

Hiccup, his axe resting on his shoulder, glanced up at Stoick, his eyes turning a bit irritated when he caught sight of his glare.

He sighed. "Take it easy, Dad."

Hiccup, that guy I was praising... he just might be their heir to our tribe.

Astrid cleared her throat nervously before speaking in a speedy voice, "Okay, but I hit a Deadly Nadder."

Cnut swiftly grabbed her by the back of her wrappings, hauling her away as Thora, Hiccup, and Stoick followed close behind.

"It's not like the last few times, Dad, I mean I really hit it! You guys were busy and I had a clear shot! It went down just off Raven Point! We can get a search party and-"

"Stop!" Stoick bellowed, cutting off Astrid's rant. Cnut unconsciously slackened his grip as he looked back at their Chief hesitantly, and Astrid quickly stepped out of his loose grip before looking up at Stoick with a similar hesitance.

"Just stop..." Stoick sighed, "Every time you step outside disaster follows. Can you not see that I have bigger problems? Winter's almost here and I have an entire village to feed!"

"Well, between you and me," Hiccup said, giving his father a rather smartass smile, "The village could do with a little less feeding, don't you think?"

Behind him, a few round Vikings stirred self-consciously, placing their hands on their beer bellies.

"This isn't a joke, Hiccup!" Stoick scolded furiously before looking back at Astrid, "Why can't you just follow the simplest of orders?"

"I can't stop myself, Chief!" Astrid said, "I see a dragon and I just have to... kill it, you know? It's who I am!"

"You are many things, Astrid, but a dragon killer isn't one of them."

Astrid shifted a little before looking toward her parents. Thora and Cnut gave Stoick an irritant glance, though he didn't notice, before looking back at her with supportive smiles. Cnut placed his large hand on her small shoulder, speaking in a gentle tone, "Get back to the house, Astrid. Aye?"

"Okay," Astrid mumbled, lowering her disappointed eyes.

Stoick glanced at Hiccup, rolling his eyes when the boy threw him another one of those smiles. "Make sure she gets there," He ordered as he brushed past him, "I have her mess to clean up."

Hiccup rolled his eyes, giving his father a mocking look behind the man's back. It got him a slap on the back of the head from Gobber, but Hiccup ignored it, walking over to Astrid and leading her toward her house from behind. Gobber, in what appeared to be an afterthought, followed.

They past the Fire Brigade along the way, and Astrid rolled her eyes when their mocking words reached her ears.

"Quite the performance," Tuffnut smirked.

"I've never seen anyone mess up that badly," Snotlout added. Oh, so it was one of his mocking days as opposed to his flirting days. Goody. "That really helped."

Hiccup, irritated, roughly placed his hand on Snotlout's head, pushing his helmet into his face, ignoring his cry of "ow!" and shoved him to the ground.

Just as Snotlout stood back up, adjusting his helmet, Gobber pushed him down again.

"It took me forever to make that thing, you know," Hiccup said a bit flippantly.

"I'm sorry," Astrid muttered.

They walked in silence, stopping at the front door of her house. Astrid placed her hand on the handle before she suddenly whirled around to face Hiccup and Gobber.

"Your dad never listens," She snapped.

"Yeah, I know," Hiccup said, his tone irritated, before he mumbled, "Believe me, I know."

"Well, it runs in the family," Gobber shrugged, and Hiccup shot him a look.

"And when he does listen, it's always with this disappointed scowl, like someone skimped all the meat on his sandwich," Astrid continued.

"Yeah? Well try living with it," Hiccup muttered before he suddenly began mimicking Stoick's accent and movements, "'Excuse me, barmaid, I'm afraid you brought me the wrong offspring. I ordered an extra large boy with beefy arms, extra guts, and glory on the side. This here, this is a talkin' fish bone'."

Astrid gave him a sympathetic look.

That's the thing about Vikings. They don't take too well to people who are... different. If you don't fit into their criteria of what a Viking should be, then you don't fit in at all. Sure, Hiccup's good with an axe, but all his father sees is the strange things Hiccup says, or his weird inventions, or how small he is. He doesn't see Hiccup... and that was a shame.

"Now, now," Gobber cut in, "You're thinkin' about this all wrong. It's not so much what you look like, it's what's on the inside he can't stand."

Astrid and Hiccup gave him a blank look before Hiccup rolled his eyes a little, used to the less than helpful words Gobber spouted out in an attempt to comfort others.

"Thank you for summing that up," Hiccup gave him a fake smile.

"Look, the point is stop tryin' to be somethin' that you're not."

Hiccup sighed heavily before looking back at Astrid.

"I really did hit one," She mumbled.

"Sure, Astrid," Gobber nodded indulgently, and Hiccup shot him another look.

"I just wanna be one of you guys," Astrid murmured.

"I know, Astrid," Hiccup murmured back as Gobber eyed her sympathetically. She glanced up at them for a moment before she went inside. She quickly ducked, looking out her window, watching Gobber walk back toward the village while Hiccup walked toward his own home.

The Chief's house, while not the highest house in the village (that one belonged to Elder Gothi), did overlook the whole village. It sat atop a hill, a little ways away from the Great Hall. She would have to be careful, because it was also the house closest to the forest.

She waited a few more moments before quickly slipping out her back door.

Like I said, this chapter was very similar to the original, but those who have read the original probably already see what I meant when I said I wanted to better detail it.

To those who have read the original version, Hiccup's meeting with Toothless is meant to come earlier in this one, and they're actually going to spend time together before facing the Red Death.

1) Longhouse - a type of long, proportionately narrow, single-room building built by peoples in various parts of the world including Asia, Europe and North America.

2) Because Spitelout has a different last name than Stoick, I assume he was Valka's brother, or brother-in-law, and not a member of Stoick's family.

3) Hiccup's flying suit from the second movie.

4) As I'm sure you've already figured out, it's the bola launcher, which Hiccup named The Mangler.

5) Canon Astrid's axe.

Okay, there's chapter one :)

I'm not sure how long my chapters will normally be, though I do know that the rest will most likely not be as long as this one.

And, as a message to my older readers who know of my situation, I am happy to say I'm finally out of the hospital. I'm going to be in a wheelchair for a while, though; it's got one of those stands on it to prop my leg up. It's pretty uncomfortable. Luckily, though, my doctor said I'm allowed to do non-straining things, so, as a 'happy you're better' present, my dad is actually taking me to see the new Godzilla movie tomorrow. It's gonna be great :)

Though, I will have to sit in the aisle because of my wheelchair, but whatever, I've been dying to see this movie.